Monday, August 29, 2016

Today's post is on Rurouni Kenshin volume 6 by Nobuhiro Watsuki.
It is 200 pages long and is published by Shonen Jump. The cover has
Kenshin on it looking cool. It is the sixth volume in the long running
series. You have to have read the five first in the series to understand
the story. The intended reader is someone who likes historical
stories, manga, and interesting characters. There is no foul language,
no sex, but some violence in this series. The story is told from third
person close following different characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book-Kenshin's battle with
Raijûta to decide the fate of Meiji Era swordsmanship is coming to a
head. One fact is quickly becoming apparent: Raijûta will stop at
nothing to ensure the supremacy of his own school of sword-fighting!
Reunited with a member of the former Sekihô Army--that doomed civilian
unit--Sanosuke runs into trouble of his own. Old alliances are
challenged when a plan to topple the current government by any means
necessary is shared...and as his friend puts it, Sano's either "in," or
"in the way." Plus a bonus installment containing the first story
Nobuhiro Watsuki ever published!

Review- We finish the State of Meiji Swords in this volume. Raijûta in the end betrays his student and Kenshin destroys him. He crushes Raijûta's belief in himself. The battle is of course over-the-top with Raijûta being so much bigger than Kenshin but Kenshin being so much better and more committed to the fight than Raijûta could ever be. The young student will recover but the winds of change are coming to the series. Sanosuke finds another survivor of the battle that killed the other soldiers that he fought with and the other survivor wants revenge on the Meiji government. He willing to kill himself and many others to do get his goal. But Kenshin stops them both from ending their lives. More Action, More Over-The-Top Battles and More Drama ahead!

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Today's post is on The Paradox by Charlie Fletcher. It is the second in his The Oversight trilogy. As such you need to have read the first one to understand the story. The cover is blue with a hand holding a candle in the center. It is 386 pages long and is published by Orbit. The intended reader is someone who likes Victorian urban fantasy, lots of mythology, and good writing. There is some mild language, no sex, and violence in this book. The story is told in third person close moving from one character, including villains, chapter by chapter. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- When you look in the mirror- sometimes it looks back,
Those who belong to the secret society called the Oversight know may things. They know cold iron with hold back the evil it in the darkness. The know it is dangerous to stand between two mirrors.
And they know that , despite their dwindling numbers, it remains their duty to protect humanity from the supernatural. And vice versa.
The black waters rise. The candle is guttering. But the light still remains. For now...

Review- A wonderful second book from a favorite book of 2014.The story picks up where the first book ends with the discovery of Templebanes' body. The real twist to me was the unknowing time jump that Sara and Sharp have. The world building is expanded nicely with the inclusion of more of the mirror world. The story is fast paced and interesting.We get to see more of the villains in this volume and they add a layer of menace as we got to know them. Not only do we get more of the villains in this volume but we get some grey characters. I do not know what role one in particular is going to play in the end but I think is she going to be the one to change the tides. Sarah and Jack Sharp are off in the world of mirrors and everyone else just has to make it until they get back. I cannot wait to read the last volume and see where everything is going fall in the end.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Today's post is on Enter Helen: The Invention of Helen Gurley Brown and the Rise of the Modern Single Woman by Brooke Hauser. It is 496 pages long and is published by HarperCollins. The cover is orange with Helen Gurley Brown in the center with her book Sex and the Single Girl. The intended reader is someone interested in women's history, biographies, and where things start. There is mild foul naguage, talk of sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book-This cinematic story about legendary Cosmopolitan
editor and champion of the single girl Helen Gurley Brown chronicles
her rise as a cultural icon who redefined what it means to be an
American woman.In 1965, Helen Gurley Brown, author of the groundbreaking bestseller Sex and the Single Girl, took over an ailing Cosmopolitan
and soon revamped it into one of the most bankable—and
revolutionary—brands on the planet. At a time when women’s magazines
taught housewives how to make the perfect casserole, Helen spoke
directly to the single girl next door, cheekily advising her on how to
pursue men, money, power, pleasure, and, most of all, personal
happiness.In this retro romp that will appeal to fans of Mad Men,
journalist Brooke Hauser reveals how a self-proclaimed “mouseburger”
from the Ozarks became one of the most influential women of her time.
Though she was married (to the renowned movie producer David Brown), no
one embodied the idea of the Cosmo Girl more than Helen, who willed,
worked, and flirted her way to the top. Bringing New York City vibrantly
to life during the sexual revolution and the women’s movement, and
featuring a rich cast of characters, including Hugh Hefner and Gloria
Steinem, Enter Helen is the riveting story of a polarizing
pioneer who bucked convention to define her own destiny, baiting a
generation that both revered and rejected her.

Review- This was an interesting biography of someone I know nothing about. This biography does give some about the childhood and young adult life of Brown but not really much. It just touches on that because it is really is about her life after she married David Brown. It was after she married David when she wrote Sex and the Single Girl, it was David that got her the job of editing Cosmopolitan, it was David that pointed her in the right direction for her drive. On once Brown got started, it was Helen Brown that kept everything going. She was the one did all the work. The biography is about Helen but also about David and the life that they had together. This book talks about how difficult a figure Brown is for the women's movement. How she played both sides against the middle, as in she was all for the modern woman having her own life but she was all for a woman just to be man-hunting. This was an easy read and if you are curious about the life of Helen Gurley Brown I think that is a good book to start with.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I was given this book by HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.

Monday, August 22, 2016

Today's post is on Rurouni Kenshin volume 5 by Nobuhiro Watsuki.
It is 200 pages long and is published by Shonen Jump. The cover has
Kenshin and company on it. It is the fifth volume in the long running
series. You have to have read the four first in the series to understand
the story. The intended reader is someone who likes historical
stories, manga, and interesting characters. There is no foul language,
no sex, but some violence in this series. The story is told from third
person close following different characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book-Isurugi Raijûta, a
truly old-school swordsman, comes to Kenshin and requests his aid in
reforming the state of swordsmanship schools, or kenjutsu dojo, in
Japan. Although Kenshin is intrigued by Raijûta's ideals (chiefly, that
there is a need for a nation-wide, unifying school), Raijûta's plan to
"weed out" the schools he deems unfit is not in accordance with
Kenshin's deepest-held beliefs. Given the choice of either joining
Raijûta's "Shinko-ryû" movement or dying, Kenshin walks away, choosing
neither. But Raijûta isn't willing to let Kenshin off the hook so
easily...

Review- The first story is about Yahiko trying to take care of himself and his friends. Yahiko knows that Kaoru does not have the money to feed everyone at the dojo so he gets himself a job on the side. But he does not want anyone else to see him being kind because he feels he has a tough guy image, which he does not. But alls well that ends well. The main story is about Isurugi Raijûta, a swordsman who does not think well of current swordmens and their training. So he is challenging and almost killing owners of dojos across Tokyo and Japan. I hoped we would get to Kaoru use her sword skills but not in this volume and I doubt in the next as well. But maybe we will get lucky because Kaoru is a great character who can hold her own. After all she's the one feeding everyone.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for this review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Today's post is on The Morning Star by Nick Bantock. It is the last in his Morning Star trilogy. It is 60 pages long and is published by Chronicle Books. The cover is red with a lovely Egyptian scene on a postcard. The intended reader is someone who has read the first books, likes book art, and high fantasy with philosophy. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The story is told from the first person perspective of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket-Isabella--The
stronger you grow the more I seem to want you. You say you believe I'll
respond to your love and I will. But now I understand the self-doubts
Griffin must have endured when he knew he was to meet with Sabine. He
was troubled by the idea that he wouldn't be a match for her soul. You
and I are so like them.Love, MatthewPlunged into an
otherworldly maze, Matthew Sedon and Isabella de Reims are stretched to
the limits of love, of certainty, and of their belief in the powerful
guidance of Griffin and Sabine. Isabella is drawn into her predestined
journey that forces her to explore a world beyond her imagination. In
Alexandria, challenging his deepest fears, Matthew makes hi own
compelling discoveries in the fertile fields of both archaeology and the
human heart.In this, the final chapter of the Griffin & Sabine
stories, lies the fate of Matthew and Isabella--and their unexpected
kinship with Griffin and Sabine. Author and artist Nick Bantock draws on
myth, memory, and his limitless imagination to create a story that has
resonated with readers the world over. In The Morning Star, the mystery that began with an enigmatic postcard from Sabine Strohem to Griffin Moss reaches its dramatic conclusion.

Review- This is a great conclusion to the story. There are still questions about the world but the story about Isabella and Matthew is finished and happily so. The story is very philosophical and that can make it hard to understand what Bantock is going for. I think that this story is about how important art is. Art helps makes an ordinary world something special. I think we all need art in our lives and we have to choose it and seek it out. The villains could be many things from things in our lives distracting us from creating art to people in our lives who think that art has no real value. Or I could be making this love story about something more than two people over-coming odds to be together. Either way I love this story and it moves me every time I read it.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Today's post is on The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher. It is the first in his The Cinder Spires series. It is 640 pages long and is published by Roc. The cover has Captain Grimm on it looking cool. The intended reader is someone who likes steampunk, is a fan of Jim Butcher, and interesting plots. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this novel. The story is told from third person moving from one character to another every chapter. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book-Since time immemorial,
the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the
mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls, aristocratic
houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels,
fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the
peace.Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship, Predator.
Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war
with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking
their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged
in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a
proposition from the Spirearch of Albion—to join a team of agents on a
vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory.And
even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the
conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come.
Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has
begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake…

Review- A fun and fast-paced steampunk story. Butcher's writing is solid for this story, with interesting characters, fun world-building, and of course spiders. If I can ever get my hands on Tolkien, I will make him pay for all the spiders in fantasy novels. Seriously. But back to the story we have a world where humans and cats live on Spires and no one goes to the surface. We have interesting magic with half-mad and mad magic users. We have noble houses and criminal guilds and kings who everyone knows are just figureheads, no really he just says around all day totally not planning for everything to wrong and how to fix it when it does. The one weakness in this book is the last airship battle. Butcher lost me on that one. I do not know why but it just bored me. Other than that a very enjoyable story and I am curious about where the story is going to go now.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I was given this book by ACE/Roc in exchange for an honest review.

Monday, August 15, 2016

Today's post is on Rurouni Kenshin volume 4 by Nobuhiro Watsuki.
It is 208 pages long and is published by Shonen Jump. The cover has
Kenshin and company on it. It is the fourth volume in the long running
series. You have to have read the three first in the series to understand
the story. The intended reader is someone who likes historical
stories, manga, and interesting characters. There is no foul language,
no sex, but some violence in this series. The story is told from third
person close following different characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Dual Conclusions.
Shinomiro Aoshi was once the leader Edo Castle's elite guard, the Oniwabanshu. But with the fighting at an end and the shogunate overthrown, the brilliant Aoshi and his four most loyal onmitsu, or spies, find themselves without a home or a purpoise. When fighting is your life, loyalty to those lost ideals (and to the man who most symbolized them) may be the one thing left. But Megumi's life is at stake, and however sympathetic Kenshin may feel, he will fight on, to the last man is necessary...

Review- Not much character development in this one just some fun fights. But we do get to understand Aoshi more as the plot does unfold. His character is based on the second commander of the Shinsengumi Hijikata Toushizo. Watsuki does interesting things with the base characteristics of these historical people. Aoshi is interesting and very mysterious. The fights are fast and fun with Kenshin and company having some learning moments. But the real villain comes forward to kill everyone with a gatling gun because nothing else can stop these heroes. In the end bad guy is jailed, Kenshin still has his vow, and Megumi is going to help others to pay back the lives she took. More fight and drama ahead.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Friday, August 12, 2016

Today's post is on Alexandria by Nick Bantock. It is the second in his Morning Star trilogy. It is 58 pages long and is published by Chronicle Books. The cover is yellow with a postcard in the center of a Hummingbird. The intended reader is someone who likes book art, fantasy plots, and reading other peoples mail. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The story is told from the first person perspectives of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket-Matthew--You
have felt Isabella's heat and the experience unnerved you. What if I
were to tell you that your fears are back to front, that your failure to
let go and fully embrace Isabella is the thing most likely to destroy
you? That your coming together is an essential part of a grand design? --SabineIntrigue
turns to danger and romance turns to passion as Matthew Sedon and
Isabella de Reims, lovers separated by continents, struggle to make
sense of a world beyond experience. Only the guidance of Griffin Moss
and Sabine Stroheim--experienced navigators of myth and reality--can
keep them safe. In Egypt, mysterious forces vie to keep Matthew away
from his archaeological dig just as he is about to make a vital
discovery, one that may explain his increasingly strange and strong
connection with Sabine. In the boulevards of Paris, under Griffin's
tutelage, Isabella learns to trust her own powerful instincts.

Review- So much happens in this book. We are finally getting some idea about what is really going on in this world. Isabella is the center of the plot because of her visions and we get the return of the villains. And the art is so beautiful. The little drawings in the corners of the letters or the pictures on the front of the post cards; just makes it all the more fun to read theses books. The mythology is just to interesting and fun. The four main characters all have different voices and I want to hear more from them about everything that is going on in the story.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

Monday, August 8, 2016

Today's post is on Rurouni Kenshin volume 3 by Nobuhiro Watsuki. It is 200 pages long and is published by Shonen Jump. The cover has Kenshin and Kaoru on it. It is the third volume in the long running series. You have to have read the two first in the series to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes historical
stories, manga, and interesting characters. There is no foul language,
no sex, but some violence in this series. The story is told from third
person close following different characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A reason to act.
"Spider's Web"... like ordinary opium, but better-processed. Half the cost to produce, but twice the profits! To the people of Aizu, Takani Megumi was a daughter in a famous family of doctors, in which everyone- women and children- alike- studied medicine. But to grasping industrialist Takeda Kanryu, she is the hen who lays the golden egg- the only one who knows the Spider's Wed formula! To stay with Kanryu is to send even more to their deaths. But to stay with Kenshin and the others is to invite theirs...

Review- This volume is about introducing the last character of the series Takani Megumi and an important side character Shinomori Aoshi. The plot is really about how to save Megumi from the bad guy and help her redeem herself. Out of fear she made the opium instead of standing up to Kanryu. But now she has to face what she has done. The fight scenes are fun with Kenshin and Sano having pretty much all the fun. Kaoru is still acting like a little girl especially with Megumi hitting on Kenshin every chance she gets. Kenshin does not care but he does not stop it either. So some mild romantic drama. The volume ends before the big show down. So more action and drama ahead.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Friday, August 5, 2016

Today's post is on True Spies by Shana Galen. It is 346 pages long and is published by Source Books. It is the second in her Lord and Lady Spy series. The cover has the two main characters on it looking at the reader. The intended reader is someone who likes historical romance, fun plots, and spies. There is language, sex, and violence in this book. The story is told from the third person close of the two main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book-He's Getting Tired of Deception...Baron
Winslow Keating is honor-bound to finish one last mission as an elite
spy for the Barbican group even though he just wants to go home and be
with his family. But after years of secrecy and absence, his daughters
hardly know him, and his wife has given up on him.She Wants to Try a Little Intrigue...Lady
Elinor has had enough of domestic boredom. She contemplates an affair
with a rakish spy, only to discover a world of intrigue and treachery
that she never knew existed. Even more shocking, her neglectful husband
is suddenly very attentive—quite the jealous type—and apparently there
is much more to him than she ever knew.

Review- This was a fun historical romp with spies. It is very clearly based in the movie True Lies but that just made it more fun for me. I liked both the main characters. Winn quickly regrets treating his wife so poorly and wants to make a real life with her. She is willing to try and trust him again. They met in the middle so the love story is good. The spy plot is fun and I want to know more about the other characters. In particular I want to know more about Blue. He made me think of the Scarlet Pimpernel with his disguises and plans. Very fun.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Monday, August 1, 2016

Today's review is on Rurouni Kenshin volume 2 by Nobuhiro
Watsuki. It is 200 pages long and is published by Shonen Jump. It is the
first volume in the long running series. The cover has Kenshin and Sanosuke on it. The intended reader is someone who likes historical
stories, manga, and interesting characters. There is no foul language,
no sex, but some violence in this series. The story is told from third
person close following different characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The Two Hitokiri
When the cheif of the Police Sword Corps himself comes asking for favors, things must be bad. Hitokiri Udo Jin-e - a black hatted crazy-eyed slayer who feels both targets and innocent bystanders alike- is steadily working his way through a lift of former Ishin Shishi patriots now ensceonced within positions of power in the Meiji government. Can Kenshin withstanf the hypnotic, paralyzing effect of Jin-e?

Review- This volume has really three stories in it. The first story finishes the fight between Kenshin and Sanosuke. Then we have most of the volume dealing with Jin-e. And the last story includes the next character Megumi Takani. The Jin-e fight is fun with Kaoru being the important character because she can call Kenshin back from his killing rage. Jin-e thinks that because she is a woman that she is weak and cannot break his hold over her or Kenshin. But Kaoru is honestly the strongest character in the series. She is one who feeds, clothes, and fights for everyone. But Kenshin is the hero and he does a great job with it. This volume also starts to introduce the over all themes of government corruption that is ruining the lives of the average citizen. But more Action, Romance, and Drama ahead!

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Book Review Rating System

5 Stars = This book is a must read
4 Stars = This is a really good book
3 Stars = It was okay
2 Stars = Unsuccessful in coming up to expections
1 Star = Could not get into or finish the book or I was angry with that book that I wrote a strongly worded letter about it.